Device for exposing copy material



Jan. 3, 1967 w, UM E R 3,295,430

DEVICE FOR EXPOSING COPY MATERIAL Filed April 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

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United States Patent 3 295 430 DEVICE FOR EXPSIPilG COPY MATERIAL Walter Limhcrger, Hamburg-Poppenbuttel, Germany, assignor to Lurnoprint Zindler K.G., Hamburg, Germany Filed Apr. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 361,427 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 27, 1963, L 44,767 5 (Ilaims. ll. 95-73) The present invention relates to a device for exposing copy material to an original, comprising a transparent flat support surface against which the original and the copy material can be urged and behind which at least one light source is arranged in a housing extending tothe edge of the support surface.

Such devices have previously been made with a boxlike shape and a comparatively bulky light-source arrangement for uniformly illuminating the support surface. In such prior devices, the light-source arrangement generally comprises a plurality of lamps which are arranged in a plane beneath the support surface. Such illumination devices are therefore comparatively large. Due to the large number of light sources, they consume considerable electrical energy. Furthermore, pillars of lamps are known in this connection which for uniform illumination of the edge of the sections necessitate very complicated and expensive arrangements, since the middle region of the support surface is lit by inclined rays from the light sources beneath the edge of the equipment from both sides, while the edge sections are illuminated substantially only by the above-mentioned light source arrangements arranged therebelow.

Because of the size of such exposure devices there are substantial disadvantages when a known developer device, for example an automatic developer device, is to be associated with one of these exposure devices, since this developer device must be provided as an exterior additional part on the outer wall of the housing, and the dimensions of the apparatus are then the sum of the volumes of the exposure device and the developer device. This produces an expensive and unwieldy apparatus which not only requires a large space, and because of its size must have operating openings spaced from one another, but also consumes considerable electrical power.

Exposure devices have also been proposed with curved support surfaces. These curved support surfaces are substantially semicylindrical and therefore each neces sitate only one longitudinally extending light source disposed on the axis of the cylinder, the spacing of such arrangement from each portion of the semicylindrical support surface being uniform. Such developer devices, which are known particularly for blueprint systems', have the advantage of a good electrical efficiency, but have the disadvantages of :a complicated pressing device, if one is provided, and also of a large volume, since the cylindrically sectioned support surface offers no pos- 'sibility of allowing a developer device to be incorporated in an economical manner. In this connection it is to be noted that the housing for an exposure device vof this kind consists substantially of a flat face over which the semicylindrical support surface curves.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide novel exposure device having a flat support surface and which does involve the electricity costs of previous exposure devices having flat layer-support surfaces.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved exposure device which is particularly suitable for use with books.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a surface illumination device which in combination with a developer device makes possible a copying apparatus whose significant dimensions are determined substantially by the size of the support surface.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a copying apparatus in which the developer device is accommodated in a housing whose size is determined by the size of the support surface.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an exposure device with a fiat layer-support surface and a simplified construction of the illumination source.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain, with a simplified arrangement of the illumination source a uniform recessing of the support surface to accommodate the master.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a copying apparatus which is particularly suitable for the production of copies from books but also of other objects.

These and other objects are achieved according to the invention by a housing including side-wall portions diverging to the edge of the support surface from the part of the housing containing at least one light source. It should be noted that these side-wall portions may extend linearly in the direction from the illumination light source to the support surface.

According to one embodiment of the invention the side-wall portions have the shape of the surface of a cone.

According to the preferred embodiment, however, a longitudinally extending light source arrangement is arranged in an imaginary plane perpendicularly bisecting the support surface and at a spacing from the support surface, and the side-Wall portions extend on both sides of this plane and diverge to opposite longitudinal edges of the support surface. In practice, in this embodiment the housing is formed in section, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinally extending light source arrangement, and is a substantially of V-shape.

An important feature comprises a light stop between the light source and the support surface for blocking or intercepting direct rays from at least the central region of the support surface. The stop is preferably elongated and has a length corresponding to that of the light source.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, diverging side-Wall portions each subtend an angle of 45 with the support surface. a

When an elongated light source is employed, this light source may be a fluorescent lamp.

It is noted in this connection that a series of arrangements of point light sources can be provided.

Surface-illumination devices associated with developer devices on a base plate are known. This however constitutes a pure aggregation of the adjacent arrangement of a base plate joined with housing sections. According to the present invention, however, a developer device, advantageously a known automatic developer device, may be arranged on the outer side of one of the side wall portions and is disposed adjacent such side wall portion at least partly within the space defined by the projection of the support surface perpendicular to such surface, i.e. the invention includes an arrangement which makes possible an apparatus whose dimensions are substantially lying so that one of the side-wall portions of the housing is the bottom of the housing, the support surface being upwardly inclined and associated at a side wall of the housing with a pressure lid.

The pressure lid is advantageously hinged at the lower edge of the support surface. Hinged pressure lids are known, so that in this connection reference is only made to the combination with the special inclined disposition of the support surface. However, the hinge of the support surface may be provided on a slide member adjustably arranged in the bottom of the housing.

According to another and particularly preferred embodiment including an automatic developing device, a portion of the housing contains this developer device and has a horizontal top extending from the upper edge of the support surface, and at least one operating opening is provided in such horizontal top in the vicinity of the edge of the support surface. In this way particularly advantageous possibilities are provided for the production of copies of books and the like. In this connection, it is pointed out that the housing may have a rear wall located at the side of the housing opposite the pressure lid and in the vicinity of the vertical projection of the side wall portion forming the bottom.

The invention will be described below with reference to the exemplary constructions which are schematically illustrated in the drawings, which include further figures for clarifying the distinction between the present invention and the prior art. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a section through a prior-art surfaceexposure device;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic illustration for explanation of the advantages accruing from the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic side view taken in section through an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic side view taken in section through a different apparatus according to the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 4 of an apparatus for clarifying a particular arrangement; and

FIGURE 6 is a circuit diagram of a control circuit of an apparatus according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 shows a prior exposure device. In this exposure device, a semicylindrical transparent support surface 2 is arranged above a base plate 1. Concentrically of this support surface there is provided an exposure light source 3 which extends longitudinally perpendicularly of the plane of the drawing. If the cylindrical support surface 2 also extends longitudinally in this sense and is semicylindrical, then it is evident that such an arrangement, with uniform spacing of all sections of the support surface from the light source 3, does not require additional special measures for uniform illumination of the support surface. Naturally, the production of a curved support surface, particularly a semicylindrical support surface, is expensive. If a pressure lid is in addition provided, the cost is increased considerably since this pressure lid must be constructed to conform to the support surface. With curved and particularly semicylindrical construction of the support surface no satisfactory result is obtained since satisfactory pressing, particularly with stiff originals, is not possible. It is clear that the end sections of semicylindrical pressure lids can no longer be brought into their proper positions if due to the insertion of stiff copy materials proper lowering of the pressure lids onto the support surfaces is prevented. In this construction, the pressure in the central region is considerably smaller so that inaccurate exposure occurs. Similar disadvantages arise with other types of curved support surfaces, even if to a smaller extent, and it is also pointed out that the highest possible efficiency cannot be obtained from the light source with surfaces of other curvature.

It is furthermore evident that the cross-sectional shape according to FIGURE 1 does not allow the inclusion of additional apparatus parts without increased and aggregative space requirements.

FIGURE 2 shows a schematic arrangement of a light source 4 with a fiat support surface 5. Uniform illumination by the light source 4 is provided by a curved surface 6 which in all sections has the same radial spacing from the light source 4. If with reference to the fiat surface it is firstly assumed that there is uniform illumination at edge points 7 and 8 then the curved line 6 shows that in the central region, particularly at 9, the deviation from this uniform illumination is at its greatest. This takes into account only effects of direct rays. The spacing 10 between the flat support 5 and the line 6 is a measure of the deviation from the uniform illumination and on purely geometrical grounds it is evident that the deviation becomes smaller as the spacing of the light source 4 from the plane 5 becomes greater. If the spacing were infinitely large, then between the support surface 5 and the curved surface 6 over the whole of the support surface 5 there would be given a spacing diminishing to Zero, so that a uniform illumination would be ensured. Such spacing for the light source 4 is not possible in practice.

For this reason, a plurality of light sources which are arranged adjacent one another in a plane and which effect a substantially uniform illumination of a plane support surface 5 have been employed. Such an arrangement however requires a housing assembly which is cubical and which therefore occupies for a comparatively large space.

The present invention makes it unnecessary to take these considerations into account and provides an exposure device which at one side of a transparent layersupport surface 11 has a housing with side wall 12, 13 which converge from opposite outer edges 14, 15 of the support surface to a section 16 which encloses a longitudinally extending exposure light source 17 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The side walls 12, 13 in this case preferably have a flat shape. The walls which are arranged perpendicular to the side walls 12, 13 and which extend parallel to the plane of the drawing are not shown in greater detail in the drawing. A housing of substantially V-shape cross-section is provided in the top of which the exposure light source or exposure light source arrangement 17 is provided. In this embodiment the support surface 11, which has a finite spacing from the exposure light source arrangement 17, is not completely uniformly illuminated. It has surprisingly been found that serious disadvantages do not occur, particularly taking into account the features described below. However, there is provided the advantage that on the one hand the light source arrangement is substantially simplified and on the other hand considerably smaller housing dimensions are achieved; this has the advantage that when a pressure lid is provided, it can be of flat shape and is therefore easily operable and allows a satisfactory clamping of the copy material and an original.

According to a special embodiment of the invention however, in the shortest path between the exposure light source arragnement 17 and the support surface 11 there is provided a light shield 18. This stop or shield 18 is fixed between the housing walls extending parallel to the plane of the drawing. The fixing means can be angularly shaped and are indicated by reference numeral 51 for the side wall lying to the rear in FIGURE 3. This light stop blocks direct rays, particularly in the central area of the support surface 11, so that the otherwise inherent increase in the intensity of illumination toward the central section of the support surface 5 (see FIGURE 2) is avoided in a simple way. Thus, on one hand light reflected from the inner sides of the walls 12, 13, which are suitably provided with a reflective coating, provides for suflicien-t illumination of the central area. However, if the angle 19 between the side wall 12 and the support surface is chosen greater than 45, there is specially provided the effect that the reflected rays are additionally deflected on to :the longitudinal edge portions 14, 15, so that the larger spacing of the longitudinal edges of the support surface 11 from the light source arrangement 17 is compensated by increasing the optical path. The combination of the given angle, especially with a light stop 18, therefore constitutes an essential feature of the invention, since these requirements, which in practice do not involve additional special expenditure, provide for an automatic, substantially uniform illumination of the support surface, which is formed flat, without a larger space requirement and complicated surface illumination being ne- 'cessitated.

The stop 18 is baror rod-shaped, as can be seen from FIGURE'3. I

- FIGURE 3 shows an embodiment in which the support surface 11 faces downwardly. This is a complication, although an'advantageous complication, of the invention. In this embodiment a pressure plate 20 is provided which is formed with a surface extending parallel to the support surface 11 and which is arranged on a bellcrank-lever mechanism 21, 22 and in a guide which, by lateral support, prevents horizontal movement, and which is not shown in detail; The lever mechanism has, for example, a hand grip 23, formed as a Weight, which serves for raising and lowering the pressure plate 20, the pivot 24 of the elbow-lever mechanism being arranged in the vicinity of a base '25. The arm 21 of the lever mechanism supports with its spring end 52 the pressure plate 20. This pressure plate is provided at its edges with parallel guide means 53, 54 which are vertically movable in parallel guides 55, 56 of the under part. The Wall sections of the under part are indicated by reference numerals 57, 58, the walls. extending parallel to the plane of the drawing not being shown in greater detail. The parallel guiding sections can be formed in the shape of downwardly directed flanges which may have rolling support means to avoid friction on the guides 55, 56. The purpose of this arrangement is to avoid tilting of the pressure plate, even although it is only supported centrally on the arm 21 for vertical movement. It is to be understood that scissor lever systems and the like or further support levers may be provided for actuating the pressure plate. It is also pointed out that the wall section 57 is cut away beneath the support surface 11 to form an opening through which the original can be inserted onto the pressure plate. In the illustrated embodiment a book 26 is being copied, a section of this book being located between the support surface 11 and the pressure plate 20. The weight of the hand grip 23 can be suflicient to produce the clamping. It can happen that in a particular embodiment hand pressure is required. Furthermore, a spring can for example be arranged to ensure the required clamping.

The parts illustrated show the operation of the light rays and the light stop.

In the arrangement shown, with the downwardly-facing pressure plate, which is only an example since the invention includes any arrangement of the housing with the pressure plate, the whole arrangement accommodates a housing section 51 with a developer device 27. This developer device 27 comprises, in a known manner, a trough 59 with guide elements 60, a driven squeezing and transport roller pair 62, and a supply container 28 for the developer liquid, which supply container can be discharged into the trough by a pressure plate 29 which can be pressed against the container by means of a mechanism not shown in detail. The connection between the trough 59 and the supply container 28 is indicated by reference numeral 63. The mechanism can be actuated electromagnetically by a start switch of the apparatus. The drive means for the squeezing and transport rollers 61, 62 (FIG. 6) are arranged in a known manner on the outer side of a housing wall extending parallel to the plane of the drawing or can be provided in other parts as described below.

The electrical driving and connection device can be arranged in the remaining housing space. It is considered essential that the developer device and an additional housing portion containing the structural parts associated with the developer device are so arranged on the side wall 13 converging to the exposure arrangement that this additional housing portion lies at least partly, but preferably with a major part of its volume, in the region of the vertical projection of the support surface 11. The side wall 51 associated with the additional housing portion is only slightly outwardly inclined relative to the vertical so that the overhang beyond the base 25 is small. In the illustrated embodiment it can be seen that operating openings 30, 31 are provided in the top 32 of the additional housing portion; the opening 30 serves as the inlet and is subdivided into a plurality of slots for the layers while being located in the vicinity of the apex of the housing portion formed by the side walls 12, 13. In this way an operating side is provided on the housing wall 12, beyond which the handle 23 projects and from which for example a book 26 can be brought onto the pressure plate 20. Sections of the guide elements 60 can thus be extended beyond the cover 32 so that the actual inlet slots are acces sible from the side of the Wall 12, While the outlet opening 31 lies above the squeezing and transport rollers.

The embodiment according to FIGURE 3 shows one arrangement of the housing of substantially V-shaped section, it being pointed out that this housing can be arranged with the support surfaces in any position at the side or below.

A particularly preferred embodiment will be described with reference to FIGURE 4. In this figure the upwardly inclined support surface 33 is arranged at one side. Side walls 34, 35 of the exposure device are disposed so that the side wall 35 forms the substantially horizontal base of the apparatus. Perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, there extends a light source arrangement 36, and a bar-shaped light stop 37 fixed to the end walls, which are not illustrated, is provided between the light source arrangement 36 and the support surface 33 for stopping direct rays. In these end walls extending parallel to the plane of the drawing there are also mounted the light sources, the squeezing and transport rollers and other parts. By arranging the side wall 35 horizontally, a space is provided above the upwardly inclined side wall 34, this space being enclosed by a substantially perpendicular wall 38 and a horizontal top 39 and accommodating a developer device 40 comprising a trough 64, curved guide elements 65 and a squeezing and transport roller pair 66. An inlet opening 41 is provided near the upper edge of the support surface 33 and has adjacent channels extending parallel to the linear side wall 34. An outlet opening 42 is also provided in the top 39, this top being disposed only at the region of the upwardly directed projection of the base 35. The triangular space between the walls 34, 38, 39 is sufficient to receive a supply bottle 43, a mechanical compressing device 67 which is not shown in greater detail, and the electrical connection and transport elements. The compressing device 67 includes a plate hinged to the housing wall 38. The device 67 is arranged on wall parts extending parallel to the plane of the drawing. The apparatus is thus extraordinarily compact and enables the developer device to be accommodated in the vicinity of the exposure device with an improved disposition of the support surface 33, as regards the operation. In known construction, the equivalent support surfaces are in fact arranged horizontally. The present inclined arrangement, however, enables for example the laying of a book 44 with the section which is not to be copied on the flat top 39, the section with the page to be copied hanging on the horizontal support surface 33. In this connection, it is unimportant whether the inlet opening is covered since at the instant of exposure n0 development need take place, apart from which the operating openings can also be arranged in the wall 38. The inclined disposition according to the invention would then 7 easily enable slots in the wall 38 to be employed. However, the arrangement shown provides a spatial construction which makes possible an advantageous arrangement of a book on the device for exposure, which device in a development of this arrangement compactly accommodates a developer device.

A pressure lid 46, which is pivotable on a hinge 45, enables the book section 47 or for example an original and a copy material to be pressed together.

As shown for the FIGURE the hinge 45 is carried by a slide 48 which is movable parallel to the bottom 35 in a guide, and loading means 50 in frictional engagement with or sprung against the slide 48 may be provided for indexing the slide 48. In this way it is possible to arrange between end walls, which extend parallel to the plane of the drawing and are not illustrated, and the pressure lid 46 at least one spring 49 which ensures satisfactory pressing, apart from which the exposure light source arrangement 36 can be operated by the movement of the pressure lid 46.

The apparatus according to FIGURE 4 combines easy operability with a maximum space economy. For example, sheet originals can be fed in with the copy material into the space between the support surface 33 and the pressure lid 46 until they meet an abutment adjacent the hinge 45. After closing the lid 46 exposure is carried out, after which the lid is raised and the copy material is removed and inserted with an image-receiving material into the inlet slot 41 immediately adjacent the support surface 33 so that no discarding or handling space is required.

At a supply network connection 69 (FIG. 6) which can for example include a transformer and which is accommodated within the apparatus, there is provided a main switch 70. This switch can be a contactor and serves to connect circuit 71 (FIG. 6) to a current supply. In a circuit arm 72 of this circuit an exposure light source 73 is connected, for example in series with an adjustable resistor 74. Parallel to the arm 72 there is connected an arm 75 with an electromagnet for actuating the bladder-compressing device 67. A drive motor 77 is connected in a third parallel circuit. This drive motor drives the squeezing and transport rollers 62 through a reduction gearing 78, for example as shown in FIGURE 3. It can be seen that by closing the main switch the exposure light source can be energized and simultaneously the compression device is operated and the motor 77 starts.

It is particularly emphasized that an exposure time switch 79 can be connected in the arm 72 for automatically switching off or independently switching on the exposure light source 73, by which it is prepared for switching on by the main switch 70.

It is pointed out also that the movement of the pressure surface 20 or the pressure lid 46 can be used to elfect switching operations, particularly for switching on or off the exposure light source 73.

I claim:

1. A copying apparatus for a photosensitive layer to a master, comprising (a) a housing adapted to rest upon a generally hori zontal surface and including a, flat translucent exposure plate inclined upwardly and inwardly with respect to the housing while forming a wall thereof, and a pair of generally planar further walls diverging from one another in the direction of said exposure plate and including acute angles therewith whereby said walls form an enclosure of generally triangular section in said housing with said plate constituting the base of the triangular section;

(b) a light source in said enclosure longitudinally extending parallel to said plate between said further walls at a region remote from said plate;

(c) wall means constituting part of said housing and forming with one of said furtherwalls a developing compartment and including a generally horizontal flat supporting surface angularly adjoining said plate at its upper end at an obtuse angle; and

((1) developing means in said compartment for receiving said photosensitive layer, said wall means being provided with an inlet and an outlet for said layer communicating with said compartment to enable insertion of said layer into and removal of said layer from said developing means.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pressure plate hingedly connected to said housing and overlying said exposure plate for pressing said master and said layer thereagainst during exposure of said layer.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said housing is provided with a base formed with a horizontal slot, said pressure plate being provided with a slide mem ber receivable'in said slot and articulated to said pressure plate, said apparatus further comprising index means in said slot engageable with said member for releasably retaining same at selected spacings of said pressure plate from said exposure plate.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, further comprising spring means acting upon said pressure plate for urging same against said exposure plate.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said wall means comprises a horizontal upper wall forming said supporting surface and provided with said inlet and said outlet, and a vertical wall extending perpendicularly to said horizontal wall at a side of the housing remote from said exposure plate, one of said further walls being horizontal and disposed adjacent the lower edge of said exposure plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Stuckens 9573 JULIA E. COINER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A COPYING APPARATUS FOR A PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER TO A MASTER, COMPRISING (A) A HOUSING ADAPTED TO REST UPON A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SURFACE AND INCLUDING A FLAT TRANSLUCENT EXPOSURE PLATE INCLINED UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE HOUSING WHILE FORMING A WALL THEREOF, AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY PLANAR FURTHER WALLS DIVERGING FROM ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID EXPOSURE PLATE AND INCLUDING ACUTE ANGLES THEREWITH WHEREBY SAID WALLS FORM AN ENCLOSURE OF GENERALLY TRIANGULAR SECTION IN SAID HOUSING WITH SAID PLATE CONSTITUTING THE BASE OF THE TRIANGULAR SECTION; (B) A LIGHT SOURCE IN SAID ENCLOSURE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID PLATE BETWEEN SAID FURTHER WALLS AT A REGION REMOTE FROM SAID PLATE; (C) WALL MEANS CONSTITUTING PART OF SAID HOUSING AND FORMING WITH ONE OF SAID FURTHER WALLS A DEVELOPING COMPARTMENT AND INCLUDING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL FLAT SUPPORTING SURFACE ANGULARLY ADJOINGING SAID PLATE AT ITS UPPER END AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE; AND (D) DEVELOPING MEANS IN SAID COMPARTMENT FOR RECEIVING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER, SAID WALL MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR SAID LAYER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID COMPARTMENT TO ENABLE INSERTION OF SAID LAYER INTO AND REMOVAL OF SAID LAYER FROM SAID DEVELOPING MEANS. 